Screen Name

The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first.

The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first.

This Facebook account is already present

Your Club account has been locked due to a breach of our Terms of Service. Please set up a new account in line with the Club rules. Review the Club Rules. Alternatively, you can email us by completing our contact form.

Please enter a valid email address

The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first.

The qualifiers in numbers

Who is the top goalscorer in all qualifiers for FIFA World
Cups™? What has been the biggest winning margin in a qualification
match?
FIFA.com breaks down the Preliminary Competition
in numbers.

162764 fans filled the Maracana in 1977 to see a
qualifier between Brazil and Colombia.

31200 hours will be spent to construct the
different stage elements and it will take 38 people an additional
238 hours to assemble the complete set for the Preliminary Draw
show.

5000 matches will have been played between the
qualifiers 1934 FIFA World Cup and the end of the 2010 FIFA World
Cup Preliminary Competition.

4946 minutes of qualification matches have been
played by Ivan Hurtado from Ecuador. This equates to 56 match
appearances.

861 matches will be played in the Preliminary
Competition for the 31 places available for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
finals.

385 volunteers will be working during the week of
the Preliminary Draw.

200 teams have entered the FIFA World Cup
Preliminary Competition. This is the highest number of entrants
ever.

173 countries will watch the Preliminary Draw show
live.

123 is the number of qualification matches played
by Mexico. Mexico, together with the USA hold the record for the
most encounters in the Preliminary Competition, having met 23 times
already.

75 years of preliminary competition in June
2008.

30 goals scored by Iran's Ali Daei who is the
leading scorer in the Preliminary Competitions.

31 goals is the highest score in the history of
the Preliminary Competition. This is Australia's tally from
their game against American Samoa, who failed to net even a
consolation goal. This is the biggest goal difference ever in an
international match.

20 years of FIFA World Cup qualifiers were played
by Pat Jennings of Northern Ireland and Victor Mendieta from
Panama.

18 is the number of preliminary competitions the
Republic of Ireland, Portugal and Luxembourg have been involved in
when the European qualifiers start. This means they have played in
every preliminary competition since 1934.

9 seconds is the time of the fastest goal in the
Preliminary Competition. It was scored by San Marino's Davide
Gualtieri against England in 1993.

8 tonnes of steel was used for the Preliminary
Draw stage.

2 matches is all Germany has lost in 64
qualification matches.

1 is the number of people who would have been a
Preliminary Draw assistant, performed at a Preliminary Draw and at
a FIFA World Cup Final. He is Senegalese artist Youssou
N'Dour.